Schiebel wins MDA contract to provide Camcopter S-100

Austrian firm Schiebel has secured a contract with US-based Maxar Technologies company MDA for the delivery of the Camcopter S-100 unmanned air systems (UAS) to an international customer.

Schiebel’s Camcopter UAS has been selected for its ability to provide major support to carry out sea and land-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Schiebel Group chairman Hans Georg Schiebel said: “We are honoured that MDA has chosen our best-in-class Camcopter S-100 to fulfil the requirements of this prestigious contract.

“We are excited about this partnership and look forward to the opportunity to once again demonstrate the proven capabilities of the S-100 and its unique suitability for ISR missions.”

Based on the autonomous system’s capability to carry out effective surveillance in challenging, complex and hostile environments, MDA intended to offer the service to an unnamed international customer.

“We are excited about this partnership and look forward to the opportunity to once again demonstrate the proven capabilities of the S-100.”

As part of the deal, the company will be responsible for the acquisition of the Schiebel UAS fleet, in addition to its required infrastructure, training, airworthiness, logistics, supply chain management, maintenance, and all flight operations.

The Camcopter S-100 UAS is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that has a relatively small logistical footprint, which facilitates flexible and rapid deployment. It also does not require a prepared area, supporting launch or recovery equipment.

With a range of up to 200km, the unmanned aircraft is also capable of carrying a wide range of high-end payloads during day and night.

The Camcopter S-100 can navigate automatically via pre-programmed global positioning system (GPS) waypoints or directly with a pilot control unit.

The system’s missions can be planned and controlled through a simple point-and-click graphical user interface.